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"mona lisa: 1505 La Gioconda, 1919 LHOQQ, 2005 Everybody" is an image on dry erase board that visitors can doodle on. The whimsical work is part of "running with scissors," an interactive exhibit by san shoppell.

Big thoughts, big fun

Deep-thinking, philosophical types grouse that most folks today aren't reflective enough, that they're too lazy to contemplate, love our instant gratification society and only wanna have fun. How do we wake people up?

'Running with Scissors'

Interactive exhibit by San Shoppell

Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays, through Jan. 29

Place: The ARTS at Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Ave.

Admission: Free

Call: 521-2903

Plus: Have tea with shoppell, 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Also on exhibit: "The Transfigured Pedestrian," by Vince Hazen, runs through Jan. 29

One idea: Take a friend to san shoppell's "running with scissors" show at The ARTS at Marks Garage. Shoppell poses visitors with serious questions about themselves, society, rules, boundaries and freedom, yet presents them in a truly fun package. This is one art show in which visitors are required to engage .

A sign posted in the middle of the show informs visitors that "You are allowed 2 touch things." Nearby is a stack of blank cards and two index boxes, one labeled "freedom" and the other "risk." Folks can write their own ideas and then file them in the boxes. In another corner hangs two rolls of stickers, one saying "I am an artist," the other, "I am a work of art." Which one do you stick to your lapel?

Fun surprises lurk on every pedestal and wall in this exceptional show. Catch it before it leaves Jan. 29.

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A glass bowl filled with Sugar Daddy candies is a tasty piece titled "everybody could use one."

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A sign tells everyone to be hands-on, while a copier machine and three-ring binder, part of a work called "empty your pockets," invites folks to document what they carry with them and add the image to the show.

Vince Hazen elevates 'banal to high art'

"The Transfigured Pedestrian" stops unassuming visitors in their tracks. A modern-looking, seemingly pixelated image of Venus hanging on the wall is really composed of ... TICKS. A whimsical bug mobile gently twirls nearby. That is literally a collection of ... "PREPARED" ROACHES. A Zen-like circular image presented against an austere black background is the work of ... SLUGS.

What the heck is going on?! Vince Hazen, the artist behind the creepy critter art, treats stuff like dust, dog hair, bugs, slime and mold as art media. The tick piece, for instance, titled "Venus of Dog Ticks," bears the ticks removed from Hazen's own dogs.

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Slug tracks adorn fabric in "Learning Curve."

With the intention of undermining the concept of high art, with its rules and propriety, Hazen employs revolting material to create works that are aesthetically pleasing.

Hazen "elevates the banal to high art," states Rich Richardson, assistant director of The ARTS at Marks, in a write-up about the show. He "creates beautiful objects that surprise and delight by a changing of context."

Hazen's show accompanies the Shoppell exhibit at The ARTS at Marks Garage and ends Jan. 29.